I just finished Med/Surg I and lost my 4.0 GPA...despite putting in the same amount of effort and time studying as I have for every other class. I found the NCLEX-style test questions near impossible (it was our first time encountering them on a test). I have since discovered that our professor used the Elsevier study guide booklet to write most of the test questions, so I've purchased that along with the Saunder's NCLEX booklet. I have a break before starting Med/Surg II, so I was wondering how to best prepare for the class. I'm actually not even sure what the content will be like (is it just a continuum of the Med/Surg I content, or is it adding on more complex patient scenarios?). How have people succeeded in this class? Any input or advice is greatly appreciated!

just do question after question with special attention to the rationale's. This type of testing is very different. With practice it gets better.

The Davis Success series have great practice questions in them if you want another resource to study. I have used them to study for my exams and they have really helped!

I've had wonderful luck with Kaplan. In MS II, depending on your text and program, it's usually building upon what you learned in MS I. In our MS II course we covered perioperative care, acute care, respite/hospice care, emergency/trauma, and male/female repro. It seemed to me that MSII covered "areas" as much as systems and diagnosis. Remember, grades don't make a good nurse! It's what's in your brain and in your heart. I know your struggle, I was Phi Theta Kappa when I started the nursing program, and have fought tooth and nail to hang onto my GPA. When I got my first "B" in the program, I thought the world was over. Then, you realize that there are some who can't even pull a passing grade, and to be thankful for what you get. Work hard, but don't kick yourself too hard. It's easier said than done, I know. But, when you look back on all this - what you need to remember is the content and how to be therapeutic in every manner with your patient, not a GPA. Best of luck to you!

MS II was definitely harder than MS I, yet I got a B in I and an A in II. I think it was because I cut down to PRN at work, and I was beginning to "get" the NCLEX style testing. I still studied 40-60 hours for one test though. I have to work really hard for my grades as I'm no spring chicken and my synapses are dry as Ghandi's sandals. Anyway, what I do is try my best to do the assigned reading, at the very least the chapter summaries, do the quizbanks that come with my textbooks (PrepU- I have done over 6000 questions in PrepU between 2nd and 3rd semester), do Kaplan, and I literally handwrite all the power points onto notecards to reinforce them in my memory. That's why it takes me so long to study for a test.

All of your nursing classes build on each other. So what you learned in med 1 will carry over to med II. Each course adds more to your knowledge base, and your program should be testing NCLEX style questions. as the NCLEX is a cumulative test.

Best way to prepare for NCLEX style questions is practice and study rationales